Kentucky basketball's Blue-White game reveals things about Mark Pope club. What we learned

LEXINGTON — Much to the dismay — but certainly not surprise — of Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope grabbed a microphone prior to Friday night's Blue-White intrasquad game and delivered a double dose of disappointing news to those in attendance.

First: sophomore Jayden Quaintance, arguably the Wildcats' top transfer portal addition, wouldn't take the court as he continues to work his way back from an ACL injury.

Second: Superstar guard Otega Oweh only would appear in a limited capacity while dealing with an injury of his own (a foot ailment).

UK forged on, with the Blue team eventually downing the White, 35-26, in a game decided by the Elam Ending at Memorial Coliseum.

Here are three things we learned as Kentucky now looks ahead to next week's exhibition against top-ranked Purdue at Rupp Arena:

Croatian big man Andrija Jelavic looks like the real deal

Let's repeat: Oweh isn't 100%. Quaintance, considered the team's best pro prospect, didn't leave the bench.

Of the players at full go, Andrija Jelavić arguably was the best player on the court. Off the bench, he sank a pair of 3s. (One banked in, which led to a sheepish grin afterward.) To top it off, he slammed home the final two points of the contest on a fast break to seal the victory for the Blue team.

Jelavić also was active defensively, blocking a shot attempt by 7-foot-2 center Reece Potter.

Jelavić isn't expected to start this season. But anything he can add off the bench will be a boon for these Cats.

Trent Noah is an elite shooter

Koby Brea was as good a shooter as college hoops has seen the past three seasons. He spent his final go-round as a collegian at UK.

Based off his performance in last week's 3-point contest at Big Blue Madness, coupled with his showing Friday, it looks like sophomore forward Trent Noah will fill the shoes Brea vacated as the Wildcats' most deadly sharpshooter.

Noah knocked down multiple 3s for the Blue squad in Friday's winning effort.

Every time it leaves his hand, you feel like it's going to find the bottom of the net.

Kentucky reserves show promise

Freshman guard Jasper Johnson contributed multiple buckets for the winning cause. He also showcased a willingness to defend and distribute — areas, unlike his scoring, viewed as question marks entering the season.

Malachi Moreno, who joined Johnson on the Blue team, was always around the ball while vying for rebounds of the offensive and defensive variety. With concerns of how quickly he might adapt to the college game, Friday was a step in the right direction. It also occurred just days after Pope sang Moreno's praises at SEC basketball media days.

"You shake your head and be like, 'I didn't know that's the guy I recruited a year ago,'" Pope said Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. "He's been such an impactful freshman for us so far in training camp."

And then there was Reece Potter.

He's not nearly as young as Moreno or Johnson. He spent the past two seasons at Miami (Ohio), after all. But aside from the shot Jelavić rejected and a woefully short 3-point attempt, Potter was solid. At times, spectacular. At one point, he had multiple baskets in a row for the White team.

Sure, Potter is well down the bench at this point. He's not expected to play much, if any, this season.

But if forced into action in a pinch because of injuries to the players ahead of him at center (Quaintance, Moreno and projected starter Brandon Garrison), Potter should be able to provide valuable minutes to hold down the fort in the frontcourt until reinforcements return.

This story will be updated.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball takeaways from Blue-White game